India, Nepal holds virtual meeting on cross border security coordination

Maharajganj: An important meeting of the Indo-Nepal Cross Border Joint Security Coordination Committee was held on Monday to discuss strengthening security, checking criminal activities and promoting mutual cooperation, officials said.

Senior officials of Maharajganj and Siddharth Nagar districts in Uttar Pradesh participated in this online meeting from the Indian side, while senior administrative officers of Rupandehi, Kapilvastu and Navalparashi districts were present on behalf of Nepal, they said.

The meeting also focussed on problems like maintaining law and order on the border, strengthening of border signs, beautification of no-mans’ land, human trafficking, drugs, liquor, fertiliser and other items were discussed in detail, they added.

District Magistrate of Maharajganj Santosh Kumar Sharma said that along with maintaining peace on the border, valid trade should be encouraged.

He also urged for a verification campaign in the border villages to check illegal trade.

In view of the Hindu month of Shravan, during the Kanwar Yatra and other religious

occasions, there was an appeal to make special security arrangements on the routes inside the Nepali border to strengthen the security arrangements of the devotees, he added.

The District Magistrate also emphasised the need for “benching of no-man’s land” (land shaping activity to demarcate borders), cleaning Mahav drain, security of embankments, and regular information of water level in rivers so that disasters like floods could be dealt with in time.

Superintendent of Police Maharajganj Somendra Meena said that Nepal administration would increase joint patrolling and monitoring on the border to prevent border crimes.